Civil War Interactive Discussion Board Home 
Home Search search Menu menu Not logged in - Login | Register
Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > The Lounge > Idle Chit-Chat > Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo, and Mr. Rogers


 Moderated by: javal1
New Topic Reply Printer Friendly
Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo, and Mr. Rogers  Rating:  Rating
AuthorPost
 Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 05:10 pm
  PM Quote Reply
1st Post
ole
Member


Joined: Sun Oct 22nd, 2006
Location:  
Posts: 2027
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Read an interesting bit a few days ago about Lee Marvin, ultimate hardass. He's buried in Arlington alongside generals. His stone is simple, indicating only that he was a private, USMC. It doesn't say that he earned the Navy Cross for his action on Mt. Suribachi. On a "Tonight Show" talk with Johnny Carson, when Johnny asked, Lee compared his particular action as minor compared to the truly brave actions of his Sgt., Bob Keeshan.

The same posting noted that Mr. Rogers was a Navy Seal and saw considerable action.

ole

Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 05:41 pm
  PM Quote Reply
2nd Post
Roger
Member


Joined: Sun Sep 23rd, 2007
Location: Bedale, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 277
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
ole, take a look here, http://www.snopes.com/military/marvin.asp

I found it because although I knew who Lee Marvin was Captain kangeroo & Mr Rogers meant absolutely nothing so I had to google 'em:D

 

Roger

Back To Top PM Quote Reply

You have chosen to ignore Cookie12NJCoD. click Here to view this post

 Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 07:21 pm
  PM Quote Reply
4th Post
Albert Sailhorst
Member


Joined: Mon Sep 12th, 2005
Location: Aledo, Illinois USA
Posts: 536
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
The bit about Mr Rogers is a myth.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/fredrogers/a/mr_rogers.htm

The bit about Capt. Kangaroo is also a myth.

http://www.snopes.com/military/marvin.asp

Admittedly, they're interesting stories, though!

Albert Sailhorst

Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 08:26 pm
  PM Quote Reply
5th Post
ole
Member


Joined: Sun Oct 22nd, 2006
Location:  
Posts: 2027
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Dang! Another good story shot to heck! NEVER believe after-action reports.

ole

Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: Thu Oct 11th, 2007 08:56 pm
  PM Quote Reply
6th Post
PvtClewell
Member


Joined: Wed Jun 13th, 2007
Location: North Carolina USA
Posts: 420
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
On the other hand, Jimmy Stewart was a bona fide war hero. Flew 20 missions over Germany as a B-24 pilot. Think he went on to become a wing commander during the war.

Pretty darn good actor, too.

Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 02:12 pm
  PM Quote Reply
7th Post
booklover
Member


Joined: Sat Jun 23rd, 2007
Location:  
Posts: 222
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
I heard that Stewart got kicked out of the service because he claimed his co-pilot was a six foot rabbit.:P

I also heard that John Wayne actually did all his shooting too.:?;)

Best
Rob

Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 06:30 pm
  PM Quote Reply
8th Post
ole
Member


Joined: Sun Oct 22nd, 2006
Location:  
Posts: 2027
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Ever wonder why Gable enlisted and Flynn did not? The secret lives of movie stars exposed here! Film at 11.

ole

Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 06:31 pm
  PM Quote Reply
9th Post
ole
Member


Joined: Sun Oct 22nd, 2006
Location:  
Posts: 2027
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
That's twice this morning I've double-posted! The other board allows deletion.

ole

Last edited on Sat Oct 13th, 2007 06:32 pm by ole

Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: Sat Oct 13th, 2007 11:26 pm
  PM Quote Reply
10th Post
PvtClewell
Member


Joined: Wed Jun 13th, 2007
Location: North Carolina USA
Posts: 420
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Ole,

In a book called "Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot," author Starr Smith writes:

"On one of his Hollywood visits, Stewart (already in the air corps) had a reunion with his old friend, Clark Gable, who was now a newly commissioned air force officer...Gable's wife, the vivacious Carole Lombard, had recently lost her life in an airliner crash while on a war-bond fundraising trip for the government. The Gable-Lombard marriage had been viewed in Hollywood as a deep and emotional love match, and her sudden death had a profound effect on the rugged 'Gone with the Wind' star. It has been said that the numbing grief of his wife's passing, and the simple fact that at the time of her death she was in wartime service, propelled Gable to seek an active role in uniform — even at the age of 41."

I believe Gable flew several combat missions as a waist gunner.

Starr Smith was an intelligence officer in the 8th Air Force during WWII.

Stewart's wartime honors included the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Croix de Guerre. His first DFC was presented by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, who already had received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his Tokyo raid. That DFC was presented to Stewart for a particularly perilous mission over Brunswick, Germany, during Big Week in Feb., 1944, in which he was wing commander

Errol Flynn was classified 4-F because of a bad heart. Died of heart failure at the age of 50 in 1959.

Rob,

Tried my darndest to get a roster of the 445th BG to see if any of Stewart's co-pilots were named Harvey. No luck.

Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: Sun Oct 14th, 2007 01:36 am
  PM Quote Reply
11th Post
ole
Member


Joined: Sun Oct 22nd, 2006
Location:  
Posts: 2027
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Who is Starr Smith?

Thanks for the info. I only pick up dribs and drabs of this stuff in passing and I obviously take it as real--totally forgetting that most of is is press-agent and contrarian rumor.

Wasn't Gable a bit too big for a waist gunner? That's the bubble that hung under one of those bombers -B17 or B24 or whatever? Had the idea that you had to be diminutive to work any of those guns.

ole

Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

 Posted: Sun Oct 14th, 2007 02:48 am
  PM Quote Reply
12th Post
Texas Defender
Member


Joined: Sat Jan 27th, 2007
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 843
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Ole-

   The waist gunners worked standing up. It was the ball turret gunner who sat pretty much with his knees up against his chin.

 

Ball turret - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


   Starr Smith wrote a book about the actor James Stewart.

 

Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot - by Starr Smith

Last edited on Sun Oct 14th, 2007 02:56 am by Texas Defender

Back To Top PM Quote Reply

 Posted: Sun Oct 14th, 2007 05:52 am
  PM Quote Reply
13th Post
ole
Member


Joined: Sun Oct 22nd, 2006
Location:  
Posts: 2027
Status: 
Offline
Mana: 
Thanks, TD. Knew the ball turret wasn't the waist gunner. Just had a brain stall and couldn't think of the name. I would have tomorrow, though.

Dear One has only one book on Jimmy Stewart. Starr's ain't it. She's more a Bogey and a Wayne fan.

ole

Back To Top PM Quote Reply  

Current time is 01:20 pm  
Civil War Interactive Discussion Board > The Lounge > Idle Chit-Chat > Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo, and Mr. Rogers Top



Lead Theme By: Di @ UltraBB
UltraBB 1.17 Copyright © 2007-2008 Data 1 Systems
Page processed in 0.2552 seconds (17% database + 83% PHP). 26 queries executed.